A Very Sephiroth Accuistation
by MaroonAngel of Darkness
Summary: Hope was doing as he should of have been doing, waiting for Lightning to get done so they could get started with work. Too bad he wasn't expecting the attack...


**This pairing had been in my head for a while now, and I haven't seen it anywhere at all. So I decided to introduce it to the world! **

**This takes place a year or so after FF13 so Hope is either 15 or 16, and this is before Derge of Cerberus so Yuffie is 18**

**It's not that romantic a fic, its merely showing a possible first meeting, either way though, enjoy! And hopefully, it'll spread!**

* * *

Hope sighed as he slumped back in his seat, casting a glance towards Lightning as she hovered over a table, her teal eyes flickering over the papers sprawled across for her to see and study. Next to her, a man in a black suit stood; Reeve he believes is his name; his bearded face looking just as serious and grim as her own; though he could detect an ounce of bubbling relief in them.

In a sense, Hope could understand why. This place, The Planet as they called it, was going through a lot. He didn't know what happened or what they went through; only Cocoon was contacted and asked for help. He doubted even Lightning knew what happened; but she wouldn't press. All she needed to know was that this place needed help, questions such as what happened weren't going to be the ones she was going to ask.

"What can we do?" That's what she'll ask.

He cracked a fond grin at his mentor. Always the reliable one. And that was probably what the Planet needed now; a reliable soldier ready to do what she must, along with the squadron she brought with her, with him being one of them.

After a week stay here and getting a grasp on how much help will be needed here, Cocoon would be contacted and all sorts of help would be shipped over. Closing his eyes and leaning his head back, Hope calculated the possibilities.

More soldiers would come to help secure the area, even teach people how to fight, for those that were willing to learn. Some will even try taming some the wildlife to help lessen the dangers. There will be committees to help grow food and the rest of the vegetation that was lost here; that is, if there was any vegetation growing here originally. It was hard to tell with there being dessert as far as the eye could see. He and Light even discussed the possibility that it was a desert and the flora shouldn't even be bothered with.

They'd just have to wait and observe for that though. Either way, things would get better for the Planet. Snow and the rest of NORA was helping a man named Barret Wallace and with Lightning and her own platoon helped WRO, and Cocoon waiting for the call, things will start looking up for this place.

Hope went stiff, his instincts flaring warningly, just as they always did right before he was attacked as a l'Cie, something that will always stick with him, especially since Lightning has officially taken him under his wing. His eyes flickering open, his head jerked to the side, green eyes meeting suspicious and curious brown ones.

Hope blinked at the owner of those eyes, a round, chubby face with thin black hair hanging close around her face. A bandana was tied around her forehead, black with a white band on either side. She wore a black shirt with a white flower print, and a dark gray open vest. Suddenly, those eyes narrowed and her face was suddenly inches from his own. Hope found himself going stiff with the nearness, till a hard finger started poking his forehead, hard.

"Are you some other copy of Sephiroth!" the girl accused poking him hard.

"Ow! Hey! Stop that!" Hope grumbled out, trying to swat her hand away. The crazy girl drew back, a dark frown on her features as she glared at him accusingly. He glared back at her rubbing his sore head. "I'm not a Sephiroth," he argued.

With surprising speed, she jumped over the couch was on and stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. Faster than he could react, even if he still had his l'Cie powers, she grabbed his head and pulled him up, snarling at him, "You have white hair and green eyes! The only other person I've ever seen with that who wasn't an old person was Sephiroth! And usually, Sephiroth related! So you must be related to Sephiroth somehow!"

Hope broke free of her grasp and fell back on the couch, grumbling as he rubbed the sores away. "You're crazy," he shot back. "I'm not a Sephiroth, whoever he is, I'mHope."

She threw her head back and laughed. "Ha! A Sephiroth named Hope!"

"By Etro," he sighed, leaning back in his seat, casting a pitiful glance at Lightning, who remained oblivious to all of this. "You are crazy," he finished.

The girl went mute at that, blinking at him as she tilted her head. "What's an Etro?" she asked.

He sent her a weak glare. "What's a Sephiroth?" he grumbled back.

"Sephiroth is the madman who did this to the Planet!" she exclaimed, her arms waving around rapidly with her. then she beamed at him as she plopped down on the couch next to him like it was the most natural thing, and Hope tensed as the couch jumbled beneath her sudden weight. Still beaming, she leaned close, her head tilted as she eyed him curiously. "So what's an Etro?" she repeated.

Hope blinked at her, raising an eye brow at her sudden mood swings. Distantly, he was reminded of Vanille but quickly shook that thought off. As of now, those two were asleep and still taking care of Cocoon. They'll find a way to wake them.

"Etro is a death goddess," Hope answered, forcing the memory of their friends away and focusing on the chirpy girl beside him.

"A death goddess?!" the girl repeated with a huge gasp.

The she paused and frowned. "Wait… I don't think I've heard of Etro. She doesn't sound like a god here…"

"There are gods here?" Hope wondered.

"Yeah," the girl scoffed, arcing a brow at him. "You didn't know that?"

"Well, what I do know about the Planet is pretty limited," he admitted.

She frowned at him, her eyes suspicious again. "You say that like you're a visitor…." Then she released another large, dramatic gasp, pointing a finger at him. "You're one of the Coco people, aren't you!?"

"…Coco people? You mean Cocoon?"

"Yes! That's it! You're from Cocoon, aren't you?"

"I am one of them, I'm actually a second in command in one of the three leaders here," Hope stated, not helping himself as he gave her a proud smirk.

"The three?" she wondered.

Eagerly, Hope listed them off, "Snow, Rydgea, and," he nodded towards his mentor, "Lightning, I work under her as a second in commander."

"Is her hair natural?"

"As natural as my own."

She made another dramatic gasp. "Pink hair people do exist!"

Hope laughed, "Yeah, it is one of the more rarer colors though. I only know two. Even white hair like mine is a little more common than pink."

She turned back to him, blinked as she eyed his profile. Hope turned and met her curious gaze, raising an eye brow at her. "I heard a bit about Cocoon and that is was full of…exoticness. Even the people are exotic."

Hope chuckled, his cheeks flushing slightly at that. "I wouldn't say we're that exotic. Maybe just a bit more colorful than here. If anything, I had a choice between living here and Cocoon, I might pick here."

"Why?" she wondered.

"Cocoon recovering form its own crisis. We used to be a utopia, and lived as pets without really knowing what it was life to fend for yourselves. Here, you have free will. Something a large majority of Cocoon is still struggling to grasp. Cocoon may be prettier, but we're still a pretty caged of world."

Hope frowned he allowed himself to linger on the problems at hand. Maybe the Planet wouldn't make much of a speedy recovery as he had originally thought. Cocoon needed help just as much as the Planet. Unless both were willing to give something to help the other, he couldn't see how good progress will be.

"Yuffie Kisaragi."

"Huh?" he turned, seeing the girl holding out her hand with a sure smile on her face. When it clicked, he returned it with his own, setting his hand firmly in her, "Hope Estheim. Nice to meet you Yuffie," he chuckled.

Well, either way, both Cocoon and the Planet would get back on its feet. Both just had to be willing to help the other. Glancing back at Lightning, nodding towards the beaming Reeves and shaking hands themselves; he had a good feeling that things will work out just fine.

"Sooooo," Yuffie chimed, practically leaning on him, much to his surprise, "think you can show around Cocoon sometime?"


End file.
